Roma Need To Focus

Radja Nainggolan with his teammates AS Roma celebrates after scoring the team's first goal during the Serie A match between AS Roma and FC Internazionale Milano at Stadio Olimpico on March 19, 2016 in Rome, Italy.

Sunday is a rather large day for the Giallorossi; it is the last Derbi Della Capitale for this Scudetto season. AS Roma will be playing against their city rivals, Lazio in what should be a very heated derby. Roma will look to take all three points from the Laziale mostly to keep a five-point gap between them and Fiorentina. AS Roma’s good form has them in third place in the Serie A currently with 60 points, behind second place Napoli by seven points and trailing first place Juventus by ten.

1181 – Roma have been ahead for 1181 minutes so far: more than any other side over the current Serie A. Provident.

Roma are also only five points ahead of Fiorentina, which are poised to acquire a European spot over Inter Milan and AC Milan. The difference between third and fourth place in Italy is the difference between UEFA Champions League and Europa League. Roma, if they fail to hold onto third place, Italy will view the season as huge loss. Fiorentina on the other hand are riding a huge wave of positives.

The Florentine club will like to ride that wave all the way to European shores even if it kind of slows down as the end of the season approaches. As long as Fiorentina land either in UEFA Champions League or the UEFA Europa League, with Fiorentina’s budget that is a big victory. Roma on the other hand well, the Europa League will be seen as a catastrophe (not a knock on the Europa League at all).

AS Roma have a sounder financial base behind it but with that being said many more questions have been brought up over transfers made by the Giallorossi management. The “higher ups” at Roma during the summer transfer window brought in Edin Dzeko, Mohamed Salah, Antonio Rudiger, WojciechSzczesny, Lucas Digne, Iago Falque, William Vainqueur, and Emerson Palmieri. Among the eight players brought in during the summer transfer, five are on loan deals in the Italian capital. The Roman club also saw Ivory Coast winger Gervinho sold off at a high price to China.

Former manager, Rudi Garcia, brought all of the transfers that came in during the summer of 2015 for the Giallorossi. Rudi Garcia who was appointed manager back on June 2013 was eventually sacked in early January 2016. Garcia went through a terrible run of form that led to him and his staff being fired, Roma went through ten matches with only one win, they were also knocked out of the Coppa Italia by Serie B side Spezia in Rome.

Roma went with their usual savior, Luciano Spalletti. Spalletti since his appointment has brought in some fantastic players and on the budget too. Spalletti acquired Ervin Zukanovic, Diego Perotti, and Stephan El Shaarawy all on loan initially. Zukanovic and Perotti both were offered permanent deals to stay at the Italian capital and they both signed for Roma.

AS Roma need to focus currently on the derby against Lazio but also their last upcoming matches, one of them entertaining Napoli at the Stadio Olimpico and the last match traveling to AC Milan. Roma will also have to focus on not slipping up away against Atalanta before they host Napoli along with traveling to Genoa before their final match against the Rossoneri.

After the end of the season, the job is not yet finished for Roma; Spalletti must make the final decision on players staying or leaving. The question will surround on whether the Giallorossi should keep Mohamed Salah, Stephan El Shaarawy, Antonio Rudiger, Lucas Digne, Wojciech Szczesny, and Emerson Palmeri, all of which are currently on loan deals for the Roma.